


Stuck on You

by seok_puppet



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: 2gether: the series, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Meta, No beta we die like wei wuxian, Past Miscommunication, Vaguely American Setting, but in a stupid way, but it's not important, followed by clear and open communication, johnny and ten are idiots, johnten, spoilers for 2gether: The Series, this is completely self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seok_puppet/pseuds/seok_puppet
Summary: Amused, Ten pats Johnny’s arm. “That’s why you’re not a drama character.” In his opinion, that’s a shame, because if thiswasa drama, then Johnny sheltering from a terrible rainstorm while Ten is home alone would have been the perfect time for a confession scene.(Well, depending on episode number. If it happened toward the middle, there would be so much crap left, but if they confessed closer to the last episode…)Johnny thinks everything on this show would be resolved much faster if the characters would just talk things out. Ten agrees, because he's good at communication. Except it turns out he isn't.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 15
Kudos: 103





	Stuck on You

**Author's Note:**

> I got seized by this idea while in the shower and wrote it all yesterday while I should have been focusing on other, actual important tasks. Basically, I wanted to write something that didn't have to be long or intricately planned out like all my other projects are. It's just fluff as stress relief haha!
> 
> The title comes from Max Jenmana's opening song for Still 2Gether.

“This is so stupid!” Johnny says.

His body language says otherwise. He’s leaned forward one forearm braced against his knee, eyes focused on the screen on the other side of the coffee table. Totally invested. 

Ten had already been watching the drama, letting it run on his TV while he took notes on a supremely boring book for an even more supremely boring paper. The sounds of Thai had been a comforting background drone that mixed in with the thunderstorm outside. Up until it mixed with the chiming of his phone. 

Johnny had missed his bus and his last class wasn’t far from Ten’s apartment and could he please hang out at his place for a little while until it passed? 

It’s like something out of a drama. A cliché drama like the one playing on his screen that has the same hackneyed plot as a dozen others in as many languages. (Only better because the people doing the fake dating are both men and have unbearably good chemistry. Thank you, BrightWin.) 

And Ten had said of course, mi casa es su casa, be our guest. Which is why Johnny’s on his couch. There’s a textbook open next to him but Louis has claimed him as free real estate.

The cat is now cradled in one of Johnny’s arms, helpless as a Victorian lady with a case of the vapors. Up until a minute ago, Johnny had been mindlessly running a comb over the cat’s fur, softening him up until the cat practically melted, tongue sticking out of his mouth in the most blissed-out expression Ten’s ever seen on any living creature.

It’s not the first time Ten’s wished he was a cat but this is the first time he’s ever wanted to be Louis. Bastard. 

“What’s stupid?” 

“Them,” Johnny says. He uses his free hand to gesture expansively at the screen. “They love each other, right? They got an apartment together. Why aren’t they communicating?” 

Oh, that. Ten looks to the side, not quite hiding his smirk. “It’s a drama. Why would the characters speak to each other openly and frankly when they can just stare at each other, looking betrayed while music plays? Have to use up that air time and get in all the product placement.” 

“Man, I know, but it’s so frustrating. A girl that Sarawat _used_ to like shows up and Tine just gives up? Also, why isn’t Wat running after him? Like, if that was me and I loved someone that much, I’d chase them into traffic or whatever to explain myself.” 

Amused, Ten pats Johnny’s arm. “That’s why you’re not a drama character.” In his opinion, that’s a shame, because if this _was_ a drama, then Johnny sheltering from a terrible rainstorm while Ten is home alone would have been the perfect time for a confession scene. 

(Well, depending on episode number. If it happened toward the middle, there would be so much crap left, but if they confessed closer to the last episode…) 

But real life is not a drama. People don’t communicate in longing glances. Most of the time, they just don’t communicate. 

Not Ten though. He’s always been pretty open. And he’s sure he telegraphed his interest in Johnny from the second they met but he’s never given Ten any kind of signal that their friendship has any growth potential. And he’d flirted when they met. Not the shy, awkward flirting of a drama lead, straight up, overt “ _I have skin like honey you have to taste it_ ” flirting. Johnny had just always grinned and taken it in stride and after a while, Ten had just stopped pushing. 

He’s not pining. Pining is for people who didn’t try. He tried. Johnny didn’t respond. Why make it weird?

Louis shuffles back to the couch and Johnny takes advantage of his new freedom to stretch. He arches his back and it rides his shirt up. Ten tries to keep his gaze from wandering over the scant centimeters of Johnny’s stomach that it exposes. He fails but he manages to skate his eyes back up to Johnny’s face when he starts talking. 

“It’s a gay drama. Get that compulsory heterosexuality shit out of here, right?” He fixes Ten with a cheesy grin, like he expects a gold star for using vocabulary right out of the LGBTQ+ Studies textbook that he hasn’t even been studying since he got here. 

“They’re going to end up together. I mean, that’s the whole point of the show. Even the title is _2Gether: The Series_ ,” Ten reminds him. “But yeah, they should totally just talk about it. If I caught the guy I was in love with hugging someone else, I’d want an explanation and I’d damn well wait to hear it.”

Johnny nods. “But not, you know, in a sketchy possessive way. I’d just want to know what’s up. Right?”

“Right.” Ten certainly wouldn’t have a stone to throw in that conversation. He’s tactile with all his friends–has made it clear with past boyfriends that if they get territorial, he’s out. Even now, he’s got one leg stretched out so that his knee touches Johnny’s thigh. 

Thunder crashes harder outside and they both jump, breaking even that small point of contact. So much for it being a brief storm. When Johnny had arrived, Ten had been on episode three. Now they’re on episode twelve and the rain hasn’t let up even a little. In fact, he hears the telltale clattering of hail on the window.

“I don’t think it’s going to get any better,” Ten says. “You should probably call an Uber or something instead of waiting for the bus or walking home or whatever.” 

Because this is not a drama and he’s not going to contrive some stupid reason for Johnny to stay longer when the storm’s only going to get worse and it’s better to get him home safely. It’s illogical and also, as they say, a total dick move.

“Trying to get rid of me?” Johnny flashes one of those easy, sly grins that is maddeningly attractive without even trying. 

“Definitely not,” Ten says, busting out one of his own killer smiles like it’s nothing. It’s the kind that wins over everyone. Except Johnny. “But you might not be able to get any kind of ride soon.” 

Johnny shrugs and Ten kind of wants to punch him right in the middle of that unbothered expression. With his own mouth. “Would that be so bad?” It’s so calm, like he has no idea how much Ten would _like_ for him to not have to go home. 

The sour twist in Ten’s stomach must have shown on his face because Johnny hastily sits forward again, jumping like there was another roll of thunder. “But you probably have shit to do, right?” He nods at both of their abandoned textbooks. “I didn’t mean to stick around so long.” 

“If I wanted for you to leave, I’d tell you.” Because he always makes himself clear. “I just don’t want you to, like, get stuck.” 

Johnny nods, seeing the logic, but still making no hurry to pack up or to reach for his phone. “Hanging out with you is fun though, you know? Besides, I kind of want to see how that show ends. There’s one episode left, right?” 

“Yeah.” Ten picks up the remote the queue up the last episode and resettles himself on the couch. 

“Still think it’d be less if they just talked,” Johnny says. He looks sidelong at Ten as the episode recap starts to play, like they haven’t been bingeing the damn show all day. “I know it’s a show but they _live_ together. That’s a big commitment. It’d be one thing if Tine wasn’t into him or whatever, but come _on_.” 

Ten probably shouldn’t think it’s cute to see Johnny getting all worked up about this. There is no way he should be so charmed about how invested Johnny’s become about a romantic-comedy in Ten’s native language. It would also be nice if the butterflies in his stomach would cease and fucking desist.

Johnny’s paying attention to the screen but he’s still talking, gesturing a little bit without noticing. “Like you said, right? If you wanted someone to leave, you’d say so. Read the damn room.” Another character, Mil, appears onscreen and Johnny’s expression sours. “Especially _you_.” 

Too damn charming. 

“Of course. I pay attention to people.”

“Yeah, you do!” 

“Like when I was hitting on you and you weren’t into it, so I stopped.”

Shit, why did he say that? 

“ _Yeah_ –wait. What.” Johnny’s turns away from the screen entirely and he’s fixed Ten with his full attention. His eyebrows are raised and so furrowed that they threaten to tangle together and his mouth is pursed around something unsaid. “When was this?”

It’s Ten’s turn to stare at him. How could Johnny have possibly not known? Ten had been so obvious about it. He still very clearly remembers one movie night with Kun and his boyfriend where Ten had ended up half in Johnny’s lap, only to inch away when Johnny’s whole attention had stayed right on the screen. 

“When we first met?” Ten prompts. “When I kept _sitting on you_?” 

“I mean yeah, I know. I was into it and I was gonna ask you out. But then you stopped, so I figured you were over it.” 

More staring. “You were into it?” Ten asks. “I kept petting your hair! You didn’t do anything so I stopped.” 

“I was trying not to be stupid about it! Like, dude, I was _stupid_ for you and I was trying to play it cool.”  
It’s like they’re in competition for who can make the most confused and slightly horrified face. 

Johnny cracks first. His frown unfurls into a smile and he’s suddenly laughing so hard that his whole body is shaking. And that makes Ten laugh, body hunching further forward with each giggle. This is such a mess. 

They’ve known each other for over a year now. How could they have misinterpreted everything so badly? It’s frustrating and hilarious. This isn’t a drama and Ten thought he was being clear the whole damn time. 

“Hey, hey. Time out.” Johnny actually sits up and makes a T with his hands. “So, uh. In the spirit of actually being clear. You backed off because you thought _I_ wasn’t into it. But you were into me?”

“I was kind of infatuated,” Ten says. 

“Are you _still_ into me?” Johnny’s eyes are intent on him and Ten feels caught, like he has to say the right answer. Except there isn’t a right answer or a line or a well-placed hand in his hair. 

There’s just the stupid truth that he’d thought they both knew. 

Ten scoots closer on the couch, turned to face him, the knees of his crossed legs touching against Johnny’s. “I’m still so into you, Johnny Suh. I really wish you’d asked me out.” That’s all there is to it. 

And Johnny’s mouth is on his. There’s definitely no misinterpreting Johnny’s feelings on the matter when leans forward and presses Ten back against the couch. Ten, likewise, is very clear about how amenable he is to kissing, using obvious signals like hooking an arm around Johnny’s shoulders to keep them close. 

It’s easy to tangle up with Johnny like this, just as easy as Ten’s imagined for ages. When Johnny presses up on his forearms to look Ten in the eyes while he speaks, Ten relaxes into the couch. “I’m so going to ask you out,” Johnny promises, punctuating the sentiment with a kiss that he drops on the very end of Ten’s nose. 

Then he stays there, still looking down at Ten and there’s a look of absolute wonder on Johnny’s face. Ten grins. “Keep looking at me like that,” he warns. “And I’ll kiss you until you drop.” 

Johnny grins, catching the reference. His hand fumbles for the remote and Ten can hear the TV go silent with the pause button. “How _do_ you kiss someone until they drop?” 

“Like this!” It’s very difficult to pounce someone when he’s practically on top of you but Ten is clever. But first, he needs to ask him something very important. 

“Hey Johnny?” 

“Mm?” 

“In the spirit of open communication. How do you like your eggs in the morning?” 

~Two Months Later~

“Wait,” Johnny says, right in the middle of the first episode of _Still 2Gether_. He hits the spacebar on the computer and then pulls back a few seconds. “Holy shit. Did they actually talk shit out like reasonable adults?”

From his spot on Johnny’s lap, Ten reads the subtitles, even though he knows he heard it right the first time. “That definitely sounded like clear, honest communication.” 

Johnny whoops like he just saw someone score a three-pointer in the Playoffs. “That’s the shit I like to see! That is some spicy-ass communication right there. This is the content we signed up for!” 

Ten laughs and leans his head back on Johnny’s shoulder. “Has the show redeemed itself from that awful high five at the end?” 

“Not until they kiss.” 

It turns out that takes four more episodes.

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/seokpunpet)   
>  [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/seokpunpet)


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